


Baker's Dozen

by PencilSketchS



Category: Chinese Actor RPF, 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV) RPF
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Established Relationship, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Omega Wang Yi Bo, Omega Wang Yi Bo/Omega Xiao Zhan, Omega Xiao Zhan, Pre-Relationship, Pregnancy, Switching, ZSWWLSFYweek Day 1, lsfy - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 07:40:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29398494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PencilSketchS/pseuds/PencilSketchS
Summary: It was all the talk about buying a house that finally led them to the topic of children. Never mind that they'd been together for years, never mind that they were two omegas mated to each other, somehow Yibo had totally overlooked the fact that they could have children together.OR: that omega/omega preg fic that someone asked for once. A journey.
Relationships: Wang Yi Bo/Xiao Zhan
Comments: 34
Kudos: 134
Collections: ZSWW/LSFY Week 2021





	Baker's Dozen

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mizu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mizu/gifts).



> I've been trying to complete this prompt since last year July for in the BJYX Prompt Fest 2020. It's been restarted, reorganised, reconstructed and reborn. Anonymous prompter, I thank you for this prompt, it inspired me immensely and immediately. EDIT: It turns out the prompter was Mizu! AHH, what a coincidence <3 Sorry it's 6 months late, and thank you for the inspiration!
> 
> I'd like to say a very big thank you to my twitter friends who helped give this a read and made excellent revision suggestions, namely @pieceofmizu @kinkywrists and @sritheturtle. A special thank you to Dragantia, my bossom friend and writing buddy for seeing this fic in all it's iterations and encouraging me throughout.

# Baker’s Dozen

An Omegaverse Yizhan Fic

* * *

baker's dozen

/ˌbeɪkəz ˈdʌzn/

_noun_

  1. a group or set of thirteen.  
"a baker's dozen of love songs"
  2. 13, a kadian for Yi Zhan
  3. ~~Also, there are 13 tilde symbols used in this work of fiction~~



* * *

From the instant he sees the house, he knows this is it. This is the one. It feels like home already. The vast expanse of glass and stone, the imposing wooden front door, the geometric designs will surely be all Xiao Zhan will be able to talk about for days. It's the smell of living greenery from the stand of bamboo at the end of the neatly manicured lawn, the sound of water flowing over smooth river stones and the wide open sky above them that capture Yibo immediately.

He reaches without looking, and Xiao Zhan’s hand is in his. He turns to him with a grin that he sees mirrored on the other’s face.

“I’ve got a good feeling about this one,” Xiao Zhan bends close to murmur in his ear before they walk up to the triumphant looking agent, who opens the double wide hardwood door with a flourish.

“Nn, our forever home,” Yibo answered back softly, leaning his shoulder closer to Xiao Zhan as they entered the house together.

* * *

Wang Yibo is 21 years old the first time he spent a heat with another omega

* * *

Wang Yibo is an omega. It was not a secret by any means, he just wasn’t one to advertise his presentation. He hardly ever spent any amount of time around other omegas, he didn’t thirst after knots in the throws of heat. As far as he was concerned, he was living his life like a beta, and he really had no problems with that. 

He had no way of knowing he’d be having his very first heat experiences with Xiao Zhan, his new found friend and co-lead.

That first heat they spent together had been entirely platonic, just one omega helping another omega while on location. It was during the last days of filming Chen Qing Ling and the two of them, along with Zhu Zanjin and Liu Haikuan, had been relocated temporarily to Guizhou for location shots. 

Xiao Zhan had been clearing his throat irritatedly since their rain scene the day before, and by the end of the next day he’d gone through all of his green tea, all of his water and all of his snacks. By evening he had looked flushed and feverish, complaining about being both listless and restless all at once. 

Yibo had noticed his scent becoming more pronounced, and just settled on it smelling sweet and spicy like a freshly baked cinnamon roll when Xiao Zhan begged off from the director for an early break. Liu Haikuan had seemed impassive, and as a beta had probably noticed no change, so when Xiao Zhan had not shown up to meet them for dinner it was Zhu Zanjin that nudged Yibo and pointed out that Xiao Zhan might want another omega’s help through his heat. 

Suddenly the honeyed sweetness that lingered in Xiao Zhan’s usually spicy scent made sense, and Yibo was rather ashamed for needing such a simple thing pointed out to him. He’d hurriedly made a plate and excused himself to go and deliver it.

Xiao Zhan looked like he’d just stepped out of the shower when he opened his door to Yibo’s tentative knock. There was pink high on Xiao Zhan’s cheeks, his hair damp, miles of skin exposed as he stood there in shorts and an undershirt.

“Yibo,” Xiao Zhan said his name without inflection, not a question, not a relief.

“Is there anything I can do to help you?” Yibo asked, getting straight to the point, lifting a covered plate in offering, “You didn’t come down, so I brought you dinner.” In fact, he’d especially picked out all Xiao Zhan’s favourites. “There’s even dessert.” Which on set consisted of mostly fruit but they’d had some vanilla ice-cream that day. No matter how much Yibo teased Xiao Zhan for liking boring vanilla, Xiao Zhan always had some when it was on offer... Yibo may have brought him a rather generous cupful.

Xiao Zhan looked from his face to his two hands offering food, to the corridor and back before reaching forward to accept the offered food. 

“Ah, thank you, Wang Yibo. I’ve already let the producers know I won’t be able to come in tomorrow. Sorry for the scheduling changes.” There was an awkward air to Xiao Zhan’s words. He didn’t step back into the room, or look ready to invite Yibo in, which was understandable. 

Yibo didn’t really know how to offer his help. He’d never been forced into close proximity with someone going through a heat or a rut, and he felt more than a little awkward and out of his depth on what to say or do. His hesitance and awkwardness must have shown on his face because Xiao Zhan’s lips pressed together and he looked away like he was embarrassed, which caused Yibo’s heart to clench at how uncomfortable he was making them both. 

“Zhan-ge, I mean it. If you need me to get you anything or keep you company, just let me know. Um, I haven’t exactly had any experience with heats, but we’re both omega, so you don’t need to feel embarrassed or anything.” Yibo’s words all tumbled out in a rush, and his own face burned a little at his confession, but the way Xiao Zhan’s face softened into a smile was definitely worth it.

“Of course, thank you,” Xiao Zhan replied, finally stepping back, inviting Yibo in. “I could use some company over dinner while my head is still clear.”

Relief washed over Yibo as stepped into the room, tension unclenching in his chest. He took a huge relieved breath as he waited for Xiao Zhan to situate himself at the small dining table that could only really fit two people. The room smelled strongly of honey and spices, the sweet notes emphasised and obvious now that he was paying attention.

“Let me dry your hair while you eat, ge.” Yibo offered, spotting a towel thrown over the foot of the bed. “My mother always liked it when I dried her hair or rubbed her shoulders when she was feeling broody.” 

Xiao Zhan was half way to his second sampling of sweet potato, but turned instantly to swat at Yibo who’d stepped up behind him to dry his hair as offered, “Wang Yibo! You dare to call me broody?”

### ~

Xiao Zhan didn’t bring it up again until the night they finished filming. _It_ being the fact that Yibo had never experienced a heat. He’d been very graciously apologetic and thankful at the time for Yibo’s assistance, and kept everything appropriate despite the effect his heat was having on him, sending Yibo away when he had to deal with his physical needs, allowing him back once he was calmer, accepting Yibo’s food and attention. Omegas enjoyed a certain degree of physical contact, and Xiao Zhan seemed to thrive off of it. 

Usually on set they would play-fight, lean against each other for support, knock knees at the lunch table, fix each other’s hair and clothes. If he thought about it, they were just always reaching out for each other, always about to touch or already touching. 

Xiao Zhan in heat became even more tactile. This Xiao Zhan rested his head on Yibo’s shoulder while they watched ridiculous, cheesy dramas on Yibo’s phone. He sent Yibo bratty texts demanding company only to pull him bodily into a hug when he arrived. Xiao Zhan during a heat picked out particularly succulent morsels out of his own bowl to present to Yibo, with a look of utter contentment when Yibo embarrassedly accepted them. Yibo didn't know what to make of it. Not while it was happening, nor later when he’d been shoved right back out the door as Xiao Zhan started to flush all over again.

In the end, Yibo couldn’t believe it had been a whole two nights and a day. Or that it had been _only_ two nights and a day. He also had zero recollection of what he’d filmed when he did get called in for his scenes. It was almost a shame when Xiao Zhan lost the scent of honey and returned to set, and back to being himself again. 

Yibo refused to let things get awkward between them afterwards. He played around on set as if Xiao Zhan had never left, and Xiao Zhan would give him a small smile every now and then as if acknowledging and accepting his gesture of normalcy.

They were both seated, beer in hand, around the remains of the wrap party dinner. The rest of the cast was sprawled out comfortably, chatting in groups. Some with their heads bowed close together and laughing raucously at jokes while others were making toasts and getting deep in their cups. Xuan Lu had just excused herself from their own conversation and now the full force of Xiao Zhan’s attention fell on Yibo.

Xiao Zhan was looking flushed again tonight, but this time it was due to the beer he’d been steadily sipping. The longer the night drew out, the more relaxed he became. They may have started the night seated an appropriate amount of space apart, but they’d drifted closer to each other until their bodies pressed together in a long line. Xiao Zhan’s head rolled forward as he leaned closer to Yibo, abruptly pressing his nose into his neck and took a deep breath, scenting him.

“Zhan-ge!” Yibo nearly jumped out of his skin, pulling sharply away. Then he had to scramble to save Xiao Zhan’s beer from tipping over, plucking it from his fingers as Xiao Zhan slumped closer.

“Lao-Wang,” Xiao Zhan whined. “Why are you running away?”

“Why are you scenting me?” Yibo shot back in consternation, lowering his voice in the last moment so that he wasn’t broadcasting it to the whole room.

“You’ve been smelling like me for days. I want to remember your scent.” Xiao Zhan answered with a put-upon pout, and Yibo flushed at his words. 

Yibo had been on suppressants and scrubbed himself nightly in scent blocking soaps for so long that he was surprised Xiao Zhan had any idea what he smelled like naturally at all.

“Yeah, I don’t like to project.” Yibo eventually admitted, slowly sitting back upright as Xiao Zhan swayed out of his space, his heart-rate returning to normal.

“Lao-Wang, can I ask you something?” Xiao Zhan changed topics like only the inebriated could, having already moved on even as Yibo struggled to decide whether this conversation was worth having or not. It was probably time for them to head back to their rooms.

Yibo’s cheeks were still burning from being scented in front of everyone, but no one spared them a glance. He could let Xiao Zhan ask his question. It was bound to be something stupid anyway, surely. 

“I’ll allow one question. Then we’re getting you to bed,” Yibo acquiesced. “You’re so drunk right now.”

Xiao Zhan leaned one elbow against the table and shrugged at Yibo’s pronouncement that he was drunk. “I was just wondering how it's possible you’ve never had a single heat? You must have had one when you presented?” He locked eyes with Yibo the moment his mouth opened and he looked far more sober than a drunk person had any right to look.

“Ah,” that was not the question Yibo had been anticipating. He’d actually been hoping that Xiao Zhan had forgotten his little confession. But it seemed like two beers was all it took for Xiao Zhan to give in to his curiosity and just outright ask. “Well, I got scouted before I presented. It’s part of my contract that I take suppressants. So I’ve been taking them for years. I’ve just never had a heat.” It was as simple and as cutthroat as that. 

A look crossed Xiao Zhan’s face so quickly Yibo didn’t really have time to catch it, but it was there in the tone of his voice when he leaned forward and gave Yibo a hug. “Ah, I’m sorry, Lao-Wang, I shouldn’t have pried.” Xiao Zhan’s breath was warm on his neck, and he smelled like mellow beer and yeasty pastry. The full body contact was a surprise, but then who was Yibo to refuse a little comfort from a fellow omega?

“It’s okay. I’m used to it,” Yibo allowed the hug for another minute before shrugging Xiao Zhan gently off, and standing, hand reaching out to help Xiao Zhan onto his feet. “Let me take you back to your room. Sleep it off. We have a photo shoot in the morning.”

Xiao Zhan caught his eye and smiled that gentle smile of his. “For what it’s worth, I think you smell lovely. Fresh, and wild, like a strawberry that’s just lost it’s greenness. Still a little sour, not too sweet, but crisp. It suits you.”

Of course Xiao Zhan noticed what he smelled like. Of course he liked it too. Yibo couldn’t admit how the thought warmed and thrilled him, not when he suppressed his scent and heats and was silently envious of everyone who wasn’t under the same obligation.

### ~

When Yibo eventually returned home to his flat in Beijing it was strange to experience the distinct disconnect that he felt for this place. His things were here, it was familiar, and he called it home, but it didn’t _feel_ very much like home. No more than his parent’s house felt like home. He felt like a visitor even as he was surrounded by his legos, helmets, skateboards and gaming consoles.

At first he thought that maybe it was because it was so quiet. Nothing was ever quiet on set, and he’d always had someone to turn to for conversation or a quick game or challenge. So he put the tv on low, and cycled through his playlists on his wireless speakers. It didn’t help much. Maybe it was the stale air? He tried his hand at making something to eat in the kitchen, hoping to make the place feel more lived in, but that idea was an instant bust too. He ended up having to air out the apartment to get rid of the smell of scorched oil and burnt eggs, then order takeout dinner anyway. 

It was just a few short days since they’d parted, but already Yibo was reaching for his phone and opening up WeChat, firing off a message to Xiao Zhan. Nothing special, just a hello. He didn’t expect Xiao Zhan to respond instantly or anything. He was just wondering over to flop down on the couch when his phone rang.

“Hey,” Xiao Zhan sounded tinny over the speaker, while Yibo tried to simultaneously switch off the music and make a grab for the tv remote.

“Zhan-ge! I didn’t think you’d call,” Yibo clicked the tv off, the room silent, ears pricked for Xiao Zhan’s response.

“I had time, so I thought why not. Are you busy?” Xiao Zhan asked.

“No, it’s fine. I’m at home. I have a day or two before I’m needed on set.” Yibo relaxed back from where he’d been perched on the edge of his seat, leaning back into the couch, into their easy conversation.

“Oh, that’s good. All I have is some script reading to do. I was thinking I might go away for a bit.” Xiao Zhan sounded good. Yibo could picture his facial expressions as he listened to him talking about his plans to go to Japan, to close out his time with Wei Wuxian and get ready for his next role.

“Ge, do you also feel like something’s missing?” Yibo interrupted suddenly, apropos of nothing. Well, not nothing. “I mean, you got very deep into character, right? So does it feel weird being away from it all?”

“Sort of? More than the character, I think I just miss being on set.” Xiao Zhan answered, making thinking sounds over the line. ”Hmm, we got to the end of the story we were telling, I don’t feel like I have any unfinished business in that regard. But I do miss the places and faces. We had a routine, even if it was gruelling.”

“Yeah,” Yibo hummed his agreement.

“I won’t lie, I decided to call because I missed your company a little bit too,” Xiao Zhan sounded fond and teasing over the phone but it hit Yibo like a truck. That’s what he’d been missing. That’s what seemed lacking here. The warm spicy sweetness of Xiao Zhan’s scent.

“Zhan-ge, nothing feels right here. At home, my space, I mean. It feels like I don’t belong here. It smells wrong.” The admission came unbidden to his lips, and at the last Yibo almost wanted to toss the phone away from him at having admitted such a deeply personal and embarrassing thought.

“Ah, Yibo, it’ll feel homey in no time. I kind of left my clothes from Hengdian lying around for a while to get my place smelling like home again too. Just give it some time.”

They moved on to discussing other things, but Yibo had nearly bitten right through his lip as he’d looked around his apartment unhappily. Nothing here smelt like him, Xiao Zhan was right. He was always using scent blocking soaps and shampoos. He can’t even remember the last time he’d really scent marked any place he lived in. But Xiao Zhan and his room and his things had all smelled of warmth and comfort, and Yibo had just wrapped himself up in it. 

That night, he scrubbed off his scent blockers with little hotel soaps. He’d hoarded them from some long forgotten trip and now finally had a use for them. He’d stood under the water smelling faintly of summer fruits and began thinking seriously about just how much longer he was going to live his life suppressing his presentation.

* * *

Wang Yibo is 22 years old when he stops taking hormonal suppressants

* * *

Wang Yibo was on the brink of turning 22 when he made the decision to contest his obligation to remain on hormonal suppressants. It took a phone-call and three separate meetings later before Yibo effectively got Yuehua’s permission to stop taking his suppressants. He hadn’t threated to file a discrimination case against them, but he did remind them of just how many years he’d been denied his biological freedoms. A doctor’s visit later and he was handed a clean bill of health and equipped with his options for contraception that allows him to cycle naturally. 

It took him longer to decide whether he wanted to throw out all of his scent blocking soaps, but as he stepped into his apartment to the smell of home, the decision was made for him. At least in his own space he would allow himself to smell like the omega he was. If the idea of going completely without scent blockers was a little daunting he would just have to allow himself time to get used to the idea.

The first thing he did when he got home after his doctor’s appointment was to send Xiao Zhan a message to give him the news. It was hours later that Yibo was woken up by the ringing of his phone. He was too groggy to realise it was a video call until Xiao Zhan’s face was right there on his screen, eyes tired, wig glue still showing at his hairline.

“I woke you?” The screen is too bright, but Xiao Zhan’s voice is a balm. All Yibo can do is groan in agreement. “Sorry, I just saw your message. I can call tomorrow.”

“Wait, don’t go,” Yibo yawns, turning his head away from the phone to yawn into his arm, “I waited to tell you the news once I knew for sure-” He yawns again, before sitting up, hoping it would help to wake him up.

“I’m so happy for you.” Xiao Zhan’s voice was soft, but his expression was even softer.

“I think I am too,” Yibo answered back sleepily.

He didn’t remember much about the rest of that call, but Xiao Zhan had sent him a message the next morning, ready to compare their schedules so they could meet to celebrate.

What conversation followed in the ensuing days culminated in him inviting Xiao Zhan back to his place with the exact purpose of convincing him to be the one to help him through his first heat. He had to make it clear it was not just to meet his biological needs. He suspected he might not be alone in that.

Xiao Zhan showed up at his door smelling like cardamom and cinnamon. Yibo would be half convinced he was hiding pastries if he wasn’t hit right at that moment with how much he’d missed the other man.

“Wang Yibo,” Xiao Zhan greeted, grin revealed as he pulled down his mask, “I hope you’re happy I managed to rearrange my schedule!”

Instead of answering, Yibo gave in to the impulse that had been building in him since almost the moment they’d met. Reaching out, he pulled Xiao Zhan towards him.

Wang Yibo kissed Xiao Zhan for the first time on the threshold of his apartment, with a shivery feeling of anticipation for more sparking under his skin. It was nothing more than an impulsive brush of his lips against the other man’s but it was a risk and a revelation. It was an offer for more. An offer eagerly accepted.

Yibo called in an order of sushi, because he knew Xiao Zhan liked it. They sat close on the couch while they waited, and Xiao Zhan asked permission before leaning closer. He nosed at Yibo’s neck, smelling the burst of natural, unmasked scent there. Xiao Zhan’s own scent permeated the air, settling over Yibo’s burgeoning sense of the smell of home, the perfect complement.

Yibo couldn’t recall a word they said, or the taste of a single thing they ate, but he remembered the exact brown of Xiao Zhan’s eyes, warm on him, and the feel of Xiao Zhan’s lips on his. They parted with a promise to make plans to meet again soon, and again after that.

### ~

There was very little forewarning when Yibo’s preheat hit. After the suppressants wore off it was really just a waiting game and the doctor’s best guess at a date. Yibo had put it mostly from his mind as he went about filming his current projects, but as the day crept closer it became less easy to set out of his mind.

So it was to his intense relief that Xiao Zhan confirmed that he was in fact able to get some days off. His own heat was approaching and he’d gotten approval to be off set for a few days. Gank Your Heart had wrapped up and Yibo had just gotten back from his weekly TTXS episode recording. They should be relatively undisturbed.

Yibo spent the whole morning after his flight home tidying up his apartment. Nervous energy had him sweeping and dusting, ordering in green tea and Xiao Zhan’s favourite snacks. Unpacking the plushest, softest bedding from the back of his closet and changing the sheets for good measure. Even with the windows thrown open and letting in cold air, the apartment still smelled strongly of burnt sugar and ripe strawberries. Yibo felt like he was overheating, an aching tension growing in his lower belly. His lips were bitten red by the time there was a knock on his door and Xiao Zhan was standing before him.

A thick wash of honeyed scent assaulted Yibo’s senses as Xiao Zhan took a step forward into his space, hands reaching to draw Yibo forward by the hips.

“Hi,” Xiao Zhan’s voice was lower than usual, eyes darker as he stood his full height to better loom over Yibo in the doorway.

“Zhan-ge,” Yibo’s pulse beat a tattoo at his throat and Xiao Zhan smiled a sudden soft smile before leaning in to brush a quick, chaste kiss over Yibo’s lips.

Whatever words had been forming in Yibo’s head sputtered to a halt and all he knew was that soft brush of Xiao Zhan’s lips on his. He pressed closer and reached up to pull Xiao Zhan down into another, longer kiss. Their mouths opened to each other, hot and hungry. Xiao Zhan tasted as good as he smelled.

The honeyed sweetness of Xiao Zhan’s scent clued him in to the fact that Xiao Zhan was probably going into a heat of his own. He’d said as much regarding having this time free. So it wasn’t much of a surprise when they didn’t take things all that slowly as they fell into each other finally. Months of flirting around this thing between them on set and the months apart since, hadn’t nearly been resolved by the few short meetings they’d managed. That tension finally culminated in them tumbling into Yibo’s bed, naked and hungry.

Despite his own obvious arousal, Xiao Zhan took his time and was patient in all things as he fingered Yibo open.

“Easing your heat would be more effective if I could knot you, but that’s not to say that only an alpha can sate you.” Xiao Zhan kissed his knee as Yibo arch off the bed and further onto his fingers, unable to respond with more than a grunt and a gasp. “More than anything, what your body wants is some human contact. You might even get through a whole heat without being fucked once.” Xiao Zhan mused against the skin of his thigh before spreading his fingers in Yibo. 

The added stretch was all Yibo needed to spasm around his fingers with a shout. 

“There you go, that’s it,” Xiao Zhan praised him through the aftershocks, and Yibo stayed hard and hungry, his heat rapidly winding up. 

His next orgasm was into the hot, wet heat of Xiao Zhan’s mouth and it felt like he was shaking apart. Xiao Zhan rolled him over, and his muscles felt like jelly as Xiao Zhan settled over him, nudged and eased his way into him. Yibo couldn’t be certain, but he thinks he might have been half crying as Xiao Zhan finally bottomed out, pressing lingering kisses on his neck and shoulder and jaw. 

Yibo was propped up on his knees and elbows on his ruined bed that smelled of sex and his own semen the next time he was clear headed enough to be aware of his surroundings. His thighs quivering and wet with slick as his body rocked and swayed to the rhythm of Xiao Zhan steadily fucking into him. His ass felt loose and used, his cock felt over sensitive, but still a fire burned in his belly. 

He was making wet, hitched breathy noises as Xiao Zhan nailed his battered prostate again and again. He was really putting his weight into it, hands gripping bruisingly tight onto Yibo’s hips. His rhythm was starting to falter, and Yibo felt the angle change as Xiao Zhan leaned closer over him. Even with the wet, slapping sound their bodies made as they collided, his ear caught instantly on Xiao Zhan’s voice as he started talking between breathes into the back of Yibo’s shoulder.

“Yibo, Yibo, you’re so perfect,” Xiao Zhan unclasped one hand to rest it low on Yibo’s belly. “Baby, you’re doing so well. Imagine how gorgeous you’d be if we planted a seed right here.” 

Xiao Zhan’s words knocked a sharp, confused sound of want out of Yibo, and his whole body clenched up tight as he came for what felt like the hundredth time, his spent cock releasing nothing but a clear trickle, his balls aching.

Xiao Zhan’s fingers pushed up on Yibo’s belly, pulling them even closer together as he pushed in impossibly deeper, hitting a new spot. It felt like he was battering at the very centre of Yibo’s being and he shuddered at the sensation. Xiao Zhan leaned forward to lick at Yibo’s scent gland, and all Yibo could do was keen loudly, the last aftershocks of his orgasm shuddering through him. 

He woke up some time later, curved around Xiao Zhan. His erection was pressed up against Xiao Zhan’s ass, and an involuntary twitch of his hips had him pressing closer, fitting more snugly between firm ass cheeks. Xiao Zhan moaned and pushed back against him, angling his hips just that little bit needed for Yibo’s cockhead to brush against the damp slick there.

They were already spending both their heats together, so Yibo tried not to feel too self conscious about waking Xiao Zhan up and asking for exactly what he wanted. If he sounded hoarse and needy asking the other omega if he could fuck him then at least he was consoled by just how eager Xiao Zhan was to agree.

### ~

Suddenly it was time for the airing and promotional tour for Chen Qing Ling. There was no time for thinking, eating or sleeping. Yibo’s days consisted of make-up and posing and answering questions and playing stupid games for the camera. The upside to his sudden eighteen hour work days was that he could now do all these things in Xiao Zhan’s company. 

It was not unusual for them to seek each other out, to share casual touches and smiles. Everyone had gotten accustomed to it during filming, and no one made any mention of it now. Xiao Zhan was naturally social and friendly, and Yibo opened up around him in response. Everyone just assumed it was an omega thing, and Yibo had been happy to let them think whatever they wanted. 

More often than not, Yibo ended up at Xiao Zhan’s hotel room instead of his own. Xiao Zhan’s scent smelled like home. It settled something inside him to shed the weight of the day together. He’d either be pressing knots out of Xiao Zhan’s shoulders, or lazing in Xiao Zhan’s lap while the other ran his fingers through Yibo’s hair until Yibo was just a puddle on the couch.

It wasn’t even all about lovemaking. Some nights they would just end up kissing until they fell asleep, other times Yibo ended up beating Xiao Zhan at yet another competitive mobile game and getting banished to the couch while Xiao Zhan went through his emails. On those nights they’d end up with Xiao Zhan curled around Yibo, nose pressing into his scent gland, an alarm set early so that Xiao Zhan could push into him slowly the next morning and treat him to an extra special wake up. In the end it became a win for the both of them, and secretly an incentive for him to smear the floor with Xiao Zhan at every opportunity if this was his reward.

Xiao Zhan had, as far as he was aware, never hidden his presentation. No one seemed very shocked or surprised by the scent of omega that permeated the air whenever Xiao Zhan entered a room. For that very reason no one seemed to notice that Yibo smelled an awful lot like Xiao Zhan too. 

Yibo had slowly but surely been getting more comfortable with the idea of not using scent blockers on set, so with time he could pick up the subtle notes of his own scent as well. It sweetened Xiao Zhan’s spicy scent ever so slightly, remaining an unnoticed accompaniment for anyone who didn’t know any better. No one was boorish enough to outright come up to him and scent him to check. 

So while the nights of their promotional days were a slow exploration of each other and their new relationship, the days became a time of transition.

### ~

Until he’d made the move to ask Xiao Zhan to spend his heat with him, Yibo hadn’t really thought very much about who Xiao Zhan might have spent his heats with before. Every alpha and omega had to deal with their cycles, and there were enough options to suit everyone’s preferences, but it wasn’t particularly something that you’d discuss with just anyone. But lying naked in bed with Xiao Zhan surely qualified Yibo to ask some personal questions.

“Nah, Zhan-ge,” Yibo ran the back of his fingers down the length of Xiao Zhan’s spine, from the nob at the base of his neck to the dip where his back arched, then back. Xiao Zhan was sweaty and still breathing hard, face flushed with their excursions.

“Hm?” It sounded more like a moan than a questioning hum, and Yibo pressed his legs together, clenching his ass just to feel the pleasant ache of it.

“Have you spent a heat with an omega before?” The ‘before me’ was implied, but Yibo felt no need to be that pointed about it.

Xiao Zhan rolled over onto his side pulling Yibo around too, so they were facing each other. They lay with their legs tangled and Xiao Zhan’s arm slung low on Yibo’s waist as Xiao Zhan levelled an assessing look at him and hummed out a more alert, considering sound.

“I’m happy to tell you, but I would also like to know why you’re asking that now?” Xiao Zhan said, maintaining direct eye contact. He pressed his palm into Yibo’s skin, a gentle reassurance.

“It’s just,” Yibo was struggling with what it was he wanted to ask exactly, “I don’t know if this is what you like. I want us to spend our next heats together, but I don’t know if that’s what you need.” It was the closest he could get to voicing the feelings that roiled at the back of his mind. “I mean, I know omegas spend their heats together all the time, but that’s like how I helped you that first time right?”

“Yibo,” Xiao Zhan’s voice was firm and demanded Yibo’s attention. He didn’t know when exactly he’d looked away from Xiao Zhan’s eyes to stare blindly over his shoulder, his stomach tying itself slowly into knots. But Xiao Zhan had his attention now as he pushed up onto his arm to loom slightly over Yibo. “We’re here, together, right now. What do you think that means about my preferences?” 

Yibo could feel his ears heat as he struggled to maintain eye contact. “Hm.”

“As for my own heats, if I happened to be in a relationship at the time, I’d usually spend them with my partner or else I’d spend them alone. I’m not trying to say I’ve dated a lot in my younger years, but I have spent my heat with an omega before, and with a beta, and with an alpha.”

“Really?” Yibo couldn’t decide whether he felt weird about that or more curious.

“Really,” Xiao Zhan said with a smile. “It’s more common that people talk about. Not every omega in heat needs a knot to satisfy them. Having a partner is already a big relief for those who prefer a partner.”

“So you won’t be disappointed that I can’t knot you?” Yibo asked, skipping to the point of immediate interest.

“Did my lack of a knot disappoint you?” Xiao Zhan countered, still smiling, hand still firmly maintaining contact between them.

“No, you were perfect. I don’t think I’d want to be knotted, if I was being honest.” He didn’t think he’d ever admitted that aloud before, but now seemed like the time for these sorts of confessions.

“Well, them, I’m very grateful you wanted me to assist you with your first heat, and that you still want me in your bed now.” Xiao Zhan ran his hand down Yibo’s back to cup his ass before drawing his thigh forward so Yibo’s leg hooked over his. “Does that answer your question or do you need some more convincing?”

“I’m good, you’ve convinced me.” Yibo watched with rapt hunger and slight awe as Xiao Zhan’s tongue flicked out to lick over his lip. 

That beauty mark pulled up as Xiao Zhan bit the flesh of his lip between his teeth. That mark had been the focal point of many of Yibo’s fantasies. He surged up to put his lips there, to touch that mark with his tongue, and Xiao Zhan chuckled low as he pushed Yibo down onto his back to kiss him in return. They didn’t have to be out of the hotel for at least another two hours, but once they left their schedules split off for days. 

Yibo’s arms wrapped around Xiao Zhan to pull him closer, even as Xiao Zhan settled between his legs again. His hands pushing Yibo’s legs open and he slipped his fingers over Yibo’s slick and open entrance. Xiao Zhan had a hungry look in his eyes, and Yibo worried for a minute that two hours might not be enough.

### ~

Their promotions and appearances lasted well into Chen Qing Ling’s airing, and soon there was word of fan-meets and concerts being lined up. On top of their own booming schedules they now had what would surely be the last of their public appearances together to promote the drama. Finding free time was becoming harder to do. Avoiding public speculation was getting harder too. Somehow they held it all together, made it work.

Most of the time when Yibo stayed the night he’d wake up to Xiao Zhan kissing the back of his neck lazily, one hand holding Yibo close against him, hand rubbing over his skin as they lay tangled together. Yibo tended to cling in his sleep, but somehow Xiao Zhan was always perfectly positioned to press his nose into Yibo’s neck and run his tongue over his scent gland. It never failed to send a shiver down his spine. He would arch his back to press closer to Xiao Zhan, his scent deepening in arousal.

They wouldn’t even have exchanged words, maybe a kiss, and then Xiao Zhan would be pushing into him, prying him open and taking him apart. Slow, steady strokes would lead to Yibo being placed ass up and face down on the bed, body languid with sleep as Xiao Zhan rocked steadily into him. Yibo would take himself in hand and make incoherent sounds into the pillow, his orgasm bursting beneath his skin as he got fucked through it. 

Xiao Zhan would roll him over, lifting his legs to where he wanted them then ease back into Yibo, slowing his pace while Yibo trembled through each stroke before steadily picking up pace and strength. Yibo had to reach his hands up to stop himself from slipping up against the headboard. He loved how Xiao Zhan always woke up early and always woke up horny.

On the other hand, Xiao Zhan liked to get fucked after they’d been apart for a few days. He’d just grab Yibo by the shoulders, all but toss him on the bed, and make a show out of getting them both undressed. His eyes would light up when Yibo tumbled him over and took the initiative in retaliation. All Yibo had to do was grab his wrists in one of his own hands, press it into the bed above his head, and the room would be flooded with the smell of slick and arousal as Xiao Zhan flushed a beautiful shade of red from his chest to his cheekbones.

“You missed me a lot, Zhan-ge?” Yibo would ask.

“I missed you so much,” Xiao Zhan would reply, breathless yet sincere.

On those days, Xiao Zhan would urge him to hurry, but Yibo would slow down instead. He’d take his time kissing a path down Xiao Zhan’s neck, work at getting both his nipples hard and swollen, tongue the dip of his bellybutton, suck up bruises along the groove from hip to groin which made Xiao Zhan buck and squirm.

When Xiao Zhan pulled and growled and begged he’d suck only the head of Xiao Zhan’s cock into his mouth, ease only one finger into his slick heat, teasing, rubbing the tip of his tongue into the slit at the tip of Xiao Zhan’s cock. He didn’t mind if Xiao Zhan came too soon, he enjoyed the taste of him, and he made sure to massage his prostate for maximum effect. 

Xiao Zhan would lay boneless by the time Yibo pushed into his body, legs in a loose sprawl over Yibo’s shoulder or in the crook of his arms. He’d still contract weakly around Yibo, the last traces of orgasm shivering through him, making him perfectly wet and tight. With the taste of Xiao Zhan in his mouth and how perfect he felt around him, it didn’t take much to tip Yibo over the edge.

Later they would kiss and catch up, they’d rub wrists against necks and shoulders and scrape teeth against each other’s scent glands. More often than not this would lead to a repeat round where Yibo would inevitably end up with scratch marks on his back, the lingering sting of them keeping him at a low burn all day the next day. 

It was with a sense of growing awe that they would get updates on just how well Chen Qing Ling was doing, as they got more offers for interviews and variety shows together. It was with a giddy sense of disbelief that Xiao Zhan stepped back onto stage with Yibo on Day Day Up. Yibo could even forgive Xiao Zhan’s lack of coordination in their dance routine.

More and more often Xiao Zhan especially liked to place a proprietary hand over the back of Yibo’s neck those days, his thumb pressing lightly at Yibo’s scent gland, his fingers dipping under the collar of Yibo’s shirt to brush against the skin underneath. It’s a wonder they got through all of their interviews at all.

What they had was by no means a whirlwind romance, but it took very little heavy lifting to settle into place, sink into their bones and become their new truth. As they said their goodbyes to Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji on stage they could only turn their tearful eyes towards the future. They had new ventures, new dramas, new paths to take. 

Yibo’s new scent went almost entirely uncommented on that year, the transition seamless. He knew better than to think it was just happenstance though, and between his agency and his boyfriend he had a lot to be grateful for. He has never felt more settled in his own skin.

### ~

By January of 2020 Yibo and Xiao Zhan were planning to spend their 5th heat together. They were confirming their schedules, and when they’ll both be getting a chance to visit their parents. They had just had supper, tidied up Xiao Zhan’s flat together, and thrown both their clothes from their suitcases into the washing machine. They both looked up from their respective linked calendars to the realisation of how domestic this all was.

“You should come with me to greet my parents,” Xiao Zhan says, secure in Yibo’s acceptance.

“You should meet my parents too, they’ve been nagging me about wanting to meet you,” Yibo agreed with a nod.

“My mother has already decided you’re part of the family and has been scolding me about not bringing you home,” Xiao Zhan was grinning now, and Yibo couldn’t help but join him.

“My mother wants to know who’s feeding me so well.” Yibo responds in kind.

“My father has a special collection of all our interviews. I think he has a soft spot for you already.” Xiao Zhan has moved his chair closer around the table, taking a hold of Yibo’s hand.

“Yeah?” It takes Yibo a few tries to swallow around the sudden lump in his throat.

“Yeah,” Xiao Zhan confirms, looking at Yibo like he’d hung the stars.

It’s half a year later, on Yibo’s 22 birthday that they decide to make it official and exchange mating bites.

* * *

Wang Yibo is 23 the first time they seriously discussed the possibility of having children

* * *

Wang Yibo was 23 the first time they seriously discussed the possibility of having children. Between revealing their relationship to the public and the reveal of their mated status this decision comes at a good time. Their popularity had afforded them an amount of protection from any backlash at them no longer being single and available, but their careers have also veered from being strictly idols to being well respected and accepted actors and musicians.

It was all the talk about buying a house that finally led them to the topic of children. 

When they’d just gotten mated Xiao Zhan’s lease had come to an end, so they’d moved into Yibo’s apartment, which he owned. They’d spent a lot of time in both places, but Yibo still had a deeply rooted fondness for Xiao Zhan’s space, coloured in his clutter, and smelling of home. Time and tight schedules meant that Xiao Zhan’s clutter had extended into Yibo’s apartment, and that half their clothes were in their shared closet at Xiao Zhan’s. Cutting down to one apartment together had the benefit of him not losing track of half his things at his boyfriend’s place, or needing to have two of everything just in case.

It very quickly became obvious though that they would eventually outgrow Yibo’s apartment now that their lives had consolidated into one shared space. Even compromising over furniture and who got the work space with the most natural light, they felt like they were rubbing elbows all over the house. When they’d been newly mated they had enjoyed the intimacy of it, and honestly, with all the travelling they both did it had remained a sort of comfort.

They’d spent a good year there together before deciding they needed something bigger. Maybe somewhere a little quieter, too. With a yard. A private complex where they didn’t have to hide from their neighbours.

At first it had been a game, listing off their wishes for the new house. Xiao Zhan wanted a studio where he could read or paint. Yibo wanted a gym, which Xiao Zhan wholeheartedly approved of. Yibo also wanted the gym to have some good flooring and wall-to-ceiling mirrors like a home dance studio. Xiao Zhan eagerly agreed as long as he had front row seats to Yibo dancing and sweating.

“Do we need guest rooms, or just office space?” Yibo asked, thumbs mashing at his controller buttons as he beat down on his opponent on screen while Xiao Zhan moved with purpose around the kitchen, collecting ingredients and bowls and utensils. 

“Hm, we’d need our master suite, an office each, though I can probably handle my emails and whatever in my studio,” he pursed his lips as he weighed off some flour to combine with soft butter in a bowl. “If this is our forever home, what about kids rooms?”

An explosion sounded from the television screen, followed by a resounding KO. Yibo’s mouth was open, the game entirely forgotten. Of course, how hadn’t he thought of that? They were mated. They were both omegas capable of bearing children. Obviously they might want to have kids. If he remembered right, Xiao Zhan had even said as much once.

“My mother keeps reminding me she’s still waiting to meet her grandkids,” Xiao Zhan says from the kitchen, too busy working his dough to see Yibo’s initial reaction. He was thus unprepared for Yibo to suddenly be across him at the kitchen island.

“How many? How many children do you want?” Yibo demanded urgently.

“How many?” Xiao Zhan gave a shocked laugh as Yibo grabbed his hands across the flour strewn counter. “I don’t know. Any would be good, but I’ve always wanted a large family.”

“I’ve always thought it would be nice to have a son and a daughter. That way you get to experience both,” Yibo could feel himself flush with the admission.

“Here I thought you’d want a sports team of sons,” Xiao Zhan said, pulling Yibo by their clasped hands around the counter and into the kitchen proper.

“Hey, the more the merrier, right? We could certainly afford it,” Yibo grinned as he crowded Xiao Zhan up against the counter, pinning his hips with his own. “How about a full baker’s dozen?”

Xiao Zhan pushed playfully at Yibo’s shoulder as his eyes crinkled as he threw his head back to laugh at the absurdity of the idea. “Who do you think is going to bear all those children, Yibo? Even if I had thirteen more years to conceive babies for you, that’s a bit of a tall order, isn’t it?”

“Are you saying you couldn’t do it? I’ve never known you to give up before you even try, ge.” That earned Yibo another swat to his shoulder, then a swipe to his butt as well. “Besides, you’re not too old, I’m sure you have another 13 years in you, easy.”

“Why does it sound like that’s exactly what you’re saying?!” This time when Xiao Zhan lunged for him, Yibo was ready for it and grabbed Xiao Zhan by the arm to reel him in, his other hand going up to the back of Xiao Zhan’s neck to pull his head down for an unexpected kiss.

“Ge, who said you’d have to do all the hard work? I seem to recall you showing great interest in seeing me round and fat with babies. Or did you change your mind?” Yibo’s eyes were dark, his mouth red, and their bodies were pressed close enough together that Xiao Zhan could feel how Yibo’s body was reacting to their discussion.

“You’d want that?” Xiao Zhan asked, eyeing his mate closely.

“I don’t see why not. Plus, there’s no time like the present.” Yibo agrees magnanimously before breaking out into a teasing grin. Truth be told, Yibo had never really thought about it too deeply, but the idea had a certain appeal. “My abs have long disappeared because you feed me so well, ge. Would you like it if I was all round and pregnant?”

“I would,” Xiao Zhan replies, serious and contemplative. “We can start small, three extra rooms, for guests until we’ve occupied them all. Does that sound good?”

“Yeah, that sounds perfect.” The more Yibo thinks about it the more perfect it sounds.

### ~

Yibo had an early flight back to Beijing the morning they were meant to go look at houses. He’d only been gone for the day, flying to and from Changsha with only a small break to catch a nap. When he stepped into the apartment the only greeting he got was a plaintive meow from Jianguo and the smell of home.

The rest of the apartment was quiet as he padded in slippered feet to the kitchenette, depositing a bag of baked goods on the counter. Xiao Zhan had a favourite little hole-in-the-wall bakery he loved, which Yibo had been sure to stop at on his way home. He reached to flick on the kettle in passing before heading for their bedroom. 

Yibo paused in the doorway to their room and smiled fondly at the lump that was Xiao Zhan, asleep in their bed. His leg was thrown over his Roronao Zoro body pillow, the duvet was pulled up over his head so only a dark tuft of bed hair showed over the top of it. Yibo’s arrival hadn’t woken him, as evidenced by Xiao Zhan’s quiet snores. 

Yibo had been filming late the previous night, too late for a video call, and they had both had to content themselves with voice messages instead. Xiao Zhan had sent him one when he’d returned home from the studio where he’d been recording his voice-overs for his most recent drama. He’d sounded exhausted, but wished Yibo a safe trip home. Lucky for them they had a few planned days off, starting today.

Yibo shrugged off his jacket, pausing only to hang it quietly up on his way passed the closet, then slipped off his slippers before padding in socked feet over to the bed. Careful to not disturb Xiao Zhan, he gently eased himself onto the bed behind him and under the covers. He wasn’t planning on staying in bed long, so it didn’t matter that he was still fully dressed. Xiao Zhan most definitely was not dressed at all, and Yibo pressed up against the length of his body, nose brushing up against his neck and breathing deep.

Xiao Zhan smelled like roast cardamom and anise, he smelled warm and content and delicious. The more he smelled like the baked goods he enjoyed the closer he was to his heat. Yibo remembered their last shared heat fondly and leaned forward to nuzzle and kiss at his mate’s scent gland, winning a protesting groan as Xiao Zhan began to stir to wakefulness.

Xiao Zhan turned over now, naked body stretching and arching where they lay on their sides. He reached for Yibo, pulling him closer to nuzzle against his chest before scooting up his body to place warm, closed mouthed kisses up his neck. Xiao Zhan was warm and heavy and Yibo arched his neck to give him better access. He groaned into it when Xiao Zhan began to suck just under the jut of his Adam's apple, sure there’d be yet another red bruise there when the previous one had hardly just had time to fade. Yibo gave a hiss at the sting.

“You’re back,” Xiao Zhan’s voice was dangerously deep and sleep rough and it never failed to _do things_ to Yibo. Xiao Zhan hooks a leg up over Yibo’s thigh.

“I just got in,” Yibo confirms, arm winding around Xiao Zhan’s waist to pull him even closer.

“Welcome home,” Xiao Zhan said with a sleepy eyed smile, and then they were kissing, slow and lazy. Yibo rolled over onto his back and Xiao Zhan flowed after him, weighing him down onto the mattress, where he broke the kiss to lay with his ear against Yibo’s sternum like a sleepy human lump.

Eventually Xiao Zhan lifted his head up to meet Yibo’s eyes. “You’re dressed,” he pointed out, pouting somewhat, as if it was not obvious.

“You’re naked,” Yibo responded with a smirk.

“Are you happy to see me? Or is that-” Xiao Zhan wiggled a bit on top of him.

“That’s probably my phone,” Yibo interrupted with a grin, then hauled Xiao Zhan up for another kiss. “I brought you breakfast. Get up and I’ll make us tea.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to get some sleep?” Xiao Zhan asked even as Yibo wriggled out from under him.

“I can’t fall asleep this early. Besides, I wouldn’t be sleeping if we fell into bed together right now.” He pulled open a dresser drawer to toss Xiao Zhan some clothes from their dresser, gesturing for him to hurry up. 

“Fine, breakfast first, then house hunting, then a nap. We have a whole week off,” Xiao Zhan looked and smelled very pleased by this as he pulled on some soft pants and a t-shirt.

“By the smell of you ,we’ll be spending at least two of those in bed.” Yibo gives his ass a friendly swat on his way out into the corridor, and makes his way to the kitchen.

### ~

Every three months, like clockwork, both Xiao Zhan and Yibo’s schedules are completely cleared and they make their way home from whatever city they’re currently working in. They would spend their heats together, no questions asked. Usually they got a few days here and there to spend time together when they were working in different cities, but more often than not they were both working or commuting from their home in Beijing. 

It sometimes took a day or two of their off time before Xiao Zhan started becoming clingy, nuzzling up against Yibo’s neck to breathe him in, and getting that flush of a new heat. Xiao Zhan knew exactly what to do to coax Yibo into fucking him good and hard well before he was even properly in heat. Yibo knew that by the time his heat released him from it’s grip, Xiao Zhan’s body would be sore and achy. Xiao Zhan would be entirely spent and boneless, but he liked to push it, push himself. He enjoyed the burn in his muscles like Yibo did after days of intense dance training.

This heat was no different in that regard. Except that Xiao Zhan spent his pre-heat throwing flirty looks at Yibo as they’d been paraded through different houses that are all auditioning to be their new home. The estate agent must have been a beta to be able to hold a straight face through-out. Picking out the perfect house from their well considered shortlist was nearly upstaged by how frantic Xiao Zhan was to get Yibo out of his clothes as soon as they’d gotten back home.

What was different this time though was that they’d forgone any forms of contraception. It had been half a year since that first conversation about their future children. Half a year in which to have the discussions they needed to have with each other, their family, their management and their doctors. Between themselves they had decided that they would try, with no pressure or hurry. They would both stop their contraceptives and let fate decide the rest. 

Xiao Zhan was far too impatient for anything resembling slow lovemaking after a whole pre-heat spent keeping his hands off of Yibo, so Yibo very graciously bent him nearly double, Xiao Zhan’s knees hooked over his shoulder, as he lined himself up.

“You ready?” Yibo asked as Xiao Zhan twisted his hands into the sheets in anticipation.

“Yes! I’ve waited long enough!” Xiao Zhan declared and Yibo heard the years of yearning behind the words. He pressed in and down and Xiao Zhan cried out into his mouth as Yibo strained his body forward to claim a kiss.

“I’ll do my best,” Yibo promises. And he does.

Xiao Zhan went through all the phases of heat, his pattern consistent after their years together. He always starts out hot and desperate. Nothing is ever quite enough. Yibo would suck him off while he recovered, finger him when his own refractory period struggled to keep up. By the end of the second day Xiao Zhan would go languid and pliant and sultry. Yibo liked to just lay back, catch his breath, and watch Xiao Zhan ride him slow and deep and steady. 

Eventually Xiao Zhan became cuddly and was content with Yibo using only his mouth and hands and tongue on him as his heat finally broke, letting Xiao Zhan go all the way soft. Without fail that was when Yibo would start to feel the first stirrings of his own heat blooming low and hot in his belly. 

Ever since the beginning his heats have followed neatly after Xiao Zhan’s, his body synching up with the other omega’s. It was at this point in their heat cycle that Yibo would draw them a deep bath and Xiao Zhan would throw together a decent meal after days of surviving off the bare minimum. 

Bathed and fed they went to sleep wrapped up in each other and without fail Yibo will wake up in the throes of his own heat, Xiao Zhan already deep inside him, waking him up to a beautiful good morning orgasm. Yibo might be the dancer between them, but Xiao Zhan’s stamina is no joke if the way he plows Yibo into the mattress is any indication. 

Invariably they end up laying spooned, too exhausted to do anything but tiredly writhe against each other as Xiao Zhan’s already spent cock hardens in him once again, his hand reaching around to jerk Yibo off. It’s messy and sweaty, and at this stage Xiao Zhan is making obscene sounds as he fucks Yibo through his previous spend. 

They’d pour themselves into the shower after that, then back into the bed to enjoy their last day or two of leave recovering. There will be lots of cuddling on the couch, catching up on shows and eating junk food to an extent that only post heats could inspire. It was oddly restorative and rejuvenating in that they get to spend so much time just basking in each other. If Wang Yibo is glowing at the end of his heat it was surely his contentment shining through.

* * *

Wang Yibo is 23 years old when he learns about sperm motility and fertility factors

* * *

Wang Yibo is 23 years old when he learns about sperm motility and omega fertility factors. Conceiving was apparently an extensive topic with lots of new information to take in. Two omegas conceiving with each other, more so, it seemed.

Their contraceptive pills had had the secondary function of very slightly regulating their hormones, and thus their mood. That first month after stopping their scripts had seen Xiao Zhan short tempered and easily annoyed, while Yibo was constantly feeling hungry and had developed a smattering of pimples much to his annoyance. 

A few pimples and a voracious appetite were much preferable to the absolute lack of appetite Yibo was currently experiencing.

It had been easy enough to hide the extent of his food aversion while away, but he was back in Beijing for the next few days. Xiao Zhan was bound to notice. Sure enough, when Wang Yibo stepped in through their doorway he was instantly assaulted by the smell of cooked meat and spices. A vague sort of anxiety washed through him as even Zhan-ge’s home cooking couldn’t coax a favourable reaction out of him.

“Yibo, good timing! I’ve just finished.” Xiao Zhan stepped away from the stove top to greet him at the door. “You brought the good weather back with you.” 

They touched hands as Yibo handed over his bags and coat and keys, and Xiao Zhan chuckled when Yibo followed him into the living room to bury his nose in Xiao Zhan’s neck to just breath him in. 

“Want to catch a nap instead?” From where he was pressed up against Xiao Zhan’s back, Yibo dug his hands under the front of his cardigan, under his t-shirt to skim his fingers over Xiao Zhan’s stomach and the trail of hair there.

“Did Han-ge already feed you, is that it?” Xiao Zhan caught his hands and turned without breaking their embrace, lifting Yibo’s head to meet his eyes. He looked for a long while, categorising Yibo’s expression and complexion. “You look exhausted. Are you sure you don’t want something to eat first? Then we can call it a night.”

“Hm, okay.” Yibo agreed, his body ready to rest but the idea of eating made his stomach tighten.

Well, he could try. 

The first piece of meat was barely at his mouth when he was hit with the smell of oil and salt and red meat and Yibo had to lean back and away from his meal to take long, slow breaths. 

“Ah, here, there’s some pickled vegetables too.” Xiao Zhan was already moving the bowl closer, holding up a piece for Yibo to taste. Good, he hadn’t noticed Yibo’s sudden nausea. 

With one last deep breath, Yibo accepted the proffered food and somehow the sour taste didn’t bring up his gorge. In fact, the crunch was very satisfying, he could try to stick with the pickles and avoid the meat then.

“The estate agent called earlier, about our offer on the house,” Xiao Zhan said, smiling at him, anticipatory.

“Did they accept our offer?” Yibo asked, eager for some good news.

“They got a better one. They called to give us a chance to match it.” Xiao Zhan replied, unexpectedly but not unhappily.

“Just blow the other offer out of the water,” Yibo scoffed, “we can afford it.” 

“I told the agent our first offer stood.” Xiao Zhan shrugged, before eating another mouthful. 

“Why?” Yibo couldn’t reconcile Xiao Zhan’s words with the satisfied smirk that was growing on his face. “We didn’t lose the house, did we?”

“It was a bluff! They didn’t have a better offer. The house is ours, all we need to do is sign.” Xiao Zhan proclaimed, gesturing dramatically across the table a triumphant grin lighting up the entire room.

Yibo’s grin grew to match Xiao Zhan’s, but then he swatted at his mate across the table. “Wait! You had no idea they were bluffing, did you? What if you lost us our house!”

“Hey, I wasn’t going to let us get played! And it worked, right?” Xiao Zhan dodged another hit with a laugh.

“You could have just started with the good news, you know,” Yibo said with a shake of his head at the theatrics of it all. “How soon can we sign? You’re free tomorrow, right?” 

“Hm, I’ll check,” Xiao Zhan replied, reaching over to hold Yibo’s hand, to squeeze it in celebration. And with that they returned to their meal, and Yibo got all the way through it without too much incident as he stuck to the vegetable dishes.

It wasn’t until later, after they had settled in for a quiet night, that the leaden feeling in his stomach turned to full on nausea. Yibo was squinting in the unnecessarily bright bathroom light, rinsing his mouth, when a concerned Xiao Zhan stepped up in the doorway.

“Are you okay?” He asked, eyebrows raised and mouth pinched with concern. 

Yibo shook his head as another wave of nausea rolled through him. He didn’t dare drink any water because he just knew it would come back up.

“I’m really nauseous. I haven’t been able to eat for days.” It felt good to finally admit it. “I thought it was a bug, and it would pass, but it’s just not going away.” 

“What can I do?” Xiao Zhan asked, stepping closer. Reaching forward he rubbed a hand soothingly over Yibo’s back, and passed him a towel to dry his face and hands. “Maybe some ginger tea?” he offered, and Yibo just breathed and nodded.

When Xiao Zhan came back to the bathroom he held a slim box in his hands.

“I picked up some of these on my way home the other day. Do you think, maybe...?” 

Yibo looked closer and realised what Xiao Zhan held in his hands was a pregnancy test.

“Isn’t it too soon?” Yibo didn’t want to get his hopes up too soon. They were going to be calm and easy about this, right? “It might not be that.”

“There’s only one way to find out, hm? If it’s negative, it’s negative. We’ll just take you to the doctor before we go become joint homeowners.” Xiao Zhan hadn’t put on his glasses, and his eyes were squinting a little as he forced them to focus on Yibo’s face. He looked soft from sleep, and calm, and it settled something in Yibo.

“Okay, I guess we could check. But don’t hold your breath, ge, we only just started.” Yibo was rewarded with a smile and a kiss, and Xiao Zhan opened the box, handing the instructions over to Yibo, grumbling about how small the print was. “Are you gonna stand here and watch me?” Yibo asked when Xiao Zhan made no move to leave the bathroom.

“Of course!” Xiao Zhan grinned, sudden and blinding, too much for the middle of the night, “It’s nothing I don’t see everyday, baobei.”

Yibo instinctively rolled his eyes, but reached over with a fond smile anyway.

Yibo brushed his teeth as they waited for the test to run, then tentatively met Xiao Zhan’s eyes as they both turned to check the result.

“It’s positive.” Yibo, honestly, was shocked. “Really?”

Xiao Zhan was smiling so hard his eyes were crescents. “Well, that’s good enough to have a blood test and get confirmation. Then we’ll know for sure.”

“Um, okay.” Yibo remained standing there, so Xiao Zhan reached around him to dump the test, then pulled him by the hand back to their room. Yibo followed, unresisting.

“Are you okay?” Xiao Zhan asked. He’d led Yibo to sit on the bed, and was still holding on to his hand.

“Yeah, this was quicker than I expected though. I should call my mom. When do we let our parents know? We should call them right now, right?” Yibo turned to reach for his phone, but Xiao Zhan pulled him gently back.

“It’s very late. First we get confirmation for the doctor then we can tell them. Yibo, well done.” He gave one last tug to pull Yibo in for a kiss, which became more kisses until he had him pinned and laughing as Xiao Zhan kissed his lips and cheeks and chin and nose. “Try to get some sleep, we have a big day tomorrow.”

### ~

The hCG test came back positive and they made an appointment with their gynaecologist for a consultation and ultrasound. The doctor herself was a very pleasant beta, and greeted them with a warm smile when she looked up from Yibo’s patient file.

Yibo’s appetite was still not what it should be, and the doctor made a note in her file to keep track of his weight gain. Yibo’s stomach was still completely flat at barely six weeks along. He squeezed Xiao Zhan’s hand but otherwise didn't flinch when the ultrasound gel was squirted onto his stomach so they could have their first look at the baby. 

There wasn’t a lot to see, just a small pea shaped mass surrounded by darker, less echogenic fluid, but Xiao Zhan asked if it’s okay for him to film the whole thing on his phone anyway. The doctor informs them that the grey blur of movement on the screen is the baby’s heart already beating. She smiled patiently as they looked at each other slightly overwhelmed and proud and excited.

“We did that,” Xiao Zhan says, video forgotten but he managed to catch the way Yibo’s face softened at the words as he tore his eyes off the ultrasound screen to look up at Xiao Zhan, a grin breaking out on his face.

“Yeah, we did.”

They had hardly returned from the doctor’s office before Xiao Zhan was pulling up Baidu and installing baby growth-tracking apps. Yibo had his WeChat open composing a message to their parents with an attachment of the ultrasound video.

“Ge, is that okay? Do I just say it, or just send the video?” Yibo leaned his shoulder into Xiao Zhan, who blinked up from his own phone to glance at Yibo’s screen.

“We should probably call them? We’ll do a video call, tell them all at once.” Xiao Zhan said, finally looking as overwhelmed by the news as Yibo felt.

“Can we go out and get ice-cream in celebration first? I need sugar-courage,” Yibo didn’t even need to put on a pleading face. 

Xiao Zhan pulled him off the couch and back toward the door in the next instant, turning his head with a smile. “Lucky for you, ice cream is still allowed.”

Yibo didn’t even defend himself from Xiao Zhan’s teasing when he got himself a plain vanilla ice-cream cone.

Armed with sugar and a sort of terrified excitedness, Yibo allowed Xiao Zhan to set up the video conference call. They had let their parents know, offhandedly, that they would be trying for a baby sometime, but they doubted their parents were expecting to get news back this soon. 

Sure enough, the first thing their parents asked after was their health and whether they were well rested and then what the occasion was for a group call. Xiao Zhan couldn’t quite suppress his grin as he squeezed Yibo’s shoulder in encouragement. They’d decided, as the one carrying the baby and doing all the hard work, Yibo would get the honour of telling their parents they were about to be grandparents.

It went about as well as expected. Once Xiao Zhan’s mother burst into tears, Xiao Zhan couldn’t stop his own eyes from watering up and Yibo just looked entirely spooked by all the tears until Xiao Zhan was laughing and crying into his shoulder.

They are invited to have dinner with Han-ge and the other TTXS hosts. It had been a little while since Yibo stepped down from the post, he had just become too busy with other work, but they will forever remain his brothers. It seems as good a time as any other to give them the good news.

Han-ge had prepared some of Yibo’s favourite food, and Yibo and Xiao Zhan had both eaten with gusto. No one seemed to notice when they both refused any wine, and Xiao Zhan got teased a bit for eating all of the sour foods Han-ge had specifically set out for Yibo. All in all, it had been a good meal with good company. Xiao Zhan still had a faint blush from defending his sudden change in food taste when Yibo grasped his hand on the table and cleared his throat.

“Um, we have some news,” he said, with no pre-amble. Xiao Zhan looked over, his eyes almost shining as he smiled. Everyone’s faces were bright with curiosity and pleased interest.

“Good news, I hope,” Han-ge prompts, voicing what everyone else at the table was thinking.

“Yes, very good news,” Xiao Zhan said, squeezing Yibo’s hand with another smile.

“We’re pregnant,” Yibo says all in one breath, feeling strangely full of nerves, “I’m pregnant.”

There was a round of jubilant congratulations, and Da Zhangwei was suddenly hugging Yibo, who’d been pulled up onto his feet. Xiao Zhan hovered with hands held at the ready, as if Yibo was about to topple over, but then Han-ge was pulling him into a hug too. Yibo’s cheeks ached from all the smiling.

### ~

The next 6 weeks saw Yibo eating bland foods, taking vitamins, banning certain foods from their kitchen and picking up light yoga. He was in the middle of shooting a drama, but it was fairly stunt light and due to wrap soon. Their parents kept phoning them for updates on the baby, for check-up photos, and the end of his first trimester was swiftly approaching. That’s when they have decided to announce his pregnancy to the world at large. Yibo’s mother’s words came to mind time and again, a gentle warning that it was best to wait to see if the pregnancy held. 3 months should be enough time.

Yibo felt like every time he saw Xiao Zhan, he’s always grinning. They get a flood of congratulations from their friends and industry connections. Xiao Zhan came home with gifts from his current film crew, which Yibo usually ignored in favour of burying his nose in Xiao Zhan’s neck to breathe him in. His current set was out of town and he was only home 2 days out of the entire week until it’s completion.

“Everyone keeps saying they knew something was up because I was smelling more like sunshine and lavender. You’ve saturated my clothes in your pregnant pheromones, baobei.” Xiao Zhan laughs even as Yibo groans at the accusation.

“It would just be my luck that I smell like the herbal tea isle, wildflowers and fruit,” Yibo grumbles in false offense. He’d noticed it too, but to him it smells like milk and honey. Scents could be unreliable like that. What wasn’t uncertain though was the way it made him feel, his chest grew warm with it.

### ~

It was approaching their next scheduled free week, when the house was finally transferred over to their name and they could begin the process of moving in. Xiao Zhan wanted to do the packing of their private things and only leave the furniture and the actual heavy lifting to the professionals. They’d done some online shopping for pieces to fit in their new, larger house, and were hoping to do some in person shopping while they had this time off.

By the time Yibo made it home for their first day off it was to the sight of still collapsed boxes in the entryway and the thick cloying smell of honey and cinnamon permeating the air. 

“Xiao Zhan?” Yibo dropped his bags in the doorway, kicked off his shoes and jogged to a halt in their bedroom doorway. “How long have you been like this? You didn’t call!” 

Xiao Zhan was lying flushed, naked and sweaty on their bed, panting. He reached a hand out to Yibo, and instantly Yibo was across the room to comfort his mate.

Xiao Zhan pushed up onto his elbow and bent forward, pressing a kiss against Yibo’s clothed belly, before stretching up to kiss his mate, lips lingering. Yibo’s heart stuttered at Xiao Zhan greeting their child. 

If he had to guess, Xiao Zhan was past the desperate phase of his heat, and into his languid, sensual phase. Yibo’s heart clenched because his mate’s heat signalled his lack of conception. It wasn’t that they had aimed to conceive together, but the idea and the possibility had been there, and Yibo had noticed how Xiao Zhan had avoided all the caffeine and soft cheeses he himself was now prohibited. He’d known Xiao Zhan was holding out hope for more good news.

“Is this why you’ve been so quiet on WeChat today? Because you were dealing with your heat alone?” Yibo asked. He followed Xiao Zhan down as he lay back on the bed. The only response he got was Xiao Zhan burying his face in Yibo’s neck, rubbing his cheek against Yibo’s scent gland to spread his scent around and make it more potent and pungent and cover himself possessively in it.

Sometimes during his heat Xiao Zhan would go non-verbal like this. He’d moan and gasp and whimper, his body at once charged with want while also exhausted physically by long hours of persistent need. It was those times that he communicated his needs in looks and touches and what he seemed to need now was for Yibo to be close and present.

Xiao Zhan bit at his neck while pushing at his clothes, and Yibo sat up to strip himself and lay his skin bare for his mate. Xiao Zhan’s gaze dropped instantly to the soft swell of newly swollen breast tissue, reaching up to thumb at Yibo’s nipples, eliciting a faint hiss from Yibo. His chest had been uncomfortable and tender recently, which was supposedly normal, and Yibo hated it. Xiao Zhan seemed fascinated with the warm give of his flesh, though, so Yibo allowed him to touch.

Xiao Zhan eventually pushed Yibo down onto the mattress with him, slotting their legs together so he could rub and rut against Yibo’s thigh while catching his mouth in a slow, wet kiss. There were no toys evident on the bed, and only a trace of wetness between Xiao Zhan’s thighs. He smelled of soap, and his hair was shower damp instead of sweaty. 

“Let me help you, baobei. Here, let me help you.” Yibo crooned, setting his concerns aside in favour of helping Xiao Zhan ease the ache of an unsatisfied heat.

Yibo turned them over, and Xiao Zhan let him. He was wet and open when Yibo’s fingers pressed into him, so Yibo pulled his fingers gently free, kissing away Xiao Zhan’s whine of protest. Yibo had definitely gotten with the programme as soon as he scented his mate’s heat and saw him spread out on the bed like an offering. He lines them up and nudges forward against Xiao Zhan.

“I’m here now, I’ll look after you.” He pushed into Xiao Zhan’s body, slow and steady, and Xiao Zhan raised his hips into it, mouth dropping open.

“Yibo,” it was tremulous and choked out with effort, and Xiao Zhan clung to him as if he would fall if he didn’t.

Xiao Zhan’s body gripped Yibo hot and wet and tight. He rolled his hips up to press against Yibo, who’s hands gripped Xiao Zhan’s hips to hold him still as he gave him time to adjust. Xiao Zhan looked painfully hard, and Yibo could see tears building up in his eyes as he strained to get Yibo to move. Taking pity on his mate, Yibo pulled back carefully before pushing back in. He kept his strokes shallow at first then pulled out a little further, and pushed back in a little harder. Xiao Zhan went from whining for more to making punched out moans as he threw his head back and gave himself over to Yibo’s ministrations. Xiao Zhan’s feet found purchase on the bed and he pushed up into every stroke, thighs flexing, even as his nails dug into Yibo’s back. He’d been on edge for so long that Yibo knew he wouldn’t last much longer. Hopefully he could get some coherent conversation out of him after.

Xiao Zhan arched and shuddered through his climax, face buried in Yibo’s neck before going boneless in his release. Yibo was almost there with him, straining, pressing hard and fast into him. Xiao Zhan made an interested noise as he reached down to feel where they were connected, eyes turned down as if to see. Yibo looked down, eyes following the motion of his fingers and could only stare, mesmerised, at where his cock disappeared into Xiao Zhan’s body. He watched as Xiao Zhan’s fingers moved higher up his groin, bypassing his spent cock, which was steadily softening, to rub his spend into the skin on his belly. The visual was the last nudge he needed to draw his own orgasm out of him.

Yibo gently eased out of Xiao Zhan, who was lying spread eagled and panting, loose-limbed in the aftermath of their orgasms. The flush was receding from his skin, his cock soft against his thigh.

“I’ll just get a cloth, and I’ll get you something to drink.” Yibo hopped off the bed to do just that, side stepping his discarded clothes as he walked naked to the kitchen to snag two bottled waters. He let the water get warm before dampening a cloth in the bathroom to wipe them both down then stepped back into the room.

He was greeted by the sight of Xiao Zhan turned away from the room, face pressed into their pillows, shoulders trembling as he heaved a wet sob.

“Xiao Zhan?” Yibo freed his hands in order to reach for Xiao Zhan.

Xiao Zhan just curled into himself some more, silent now, but his shoulders still shuddered, his knees drawing up as he brought an arm up over his head.

“Hey, talk to me, what’s happening?” Yibo hadn’t exactly been shaken off, and really, how could he not think of providing his mate with comfort right now, so he eased down on the bed, wrapping himself around Xiao Zhan from behind. He dropped one kiss to the mating bite on the side of Xiao Zhan’s neck before settling in to wait for him to be ready to talk.

Eventually Xiao Zhan stopped shaking with sobs, lowered his arms, and with a shift of knees and elbows he maneuvered and turned himself carefully. Burying his face against Yibo’s chest, breathing in his scent, which seemed to help sooth him as Yibo wrapped his arms around him.

“Hey, what just happened?” Yibo asked, gently, feeling Xiao Zhan’s arms wind around his back too.

Xiao Zhan huffed in response, the sound both wet and frustrated sounding, “It’s so stupid!” he spoke against Yibo’s skin, not daring to meet his eye. “It’s just a heat, and I got upset!” The words wrenched another sob out of him. “I can’t stop crying, this is so stupid,” his words were interspersed now with sniffs and stuttered breaths, “It’s not even a big deal. I know it’s nothing to feel upset about, but I’m still like this!”

“It’s your heat? Was it really painful? I should have come sooner.” Yibo feels suddenly and urgently guilty.

“No, it isn’t that! It’s the fact that I’m having one! I mean, I had no reason to think it wasn’t coming, I wasn’t nauseous like you, or anything, but I was hoping- I-” his voice broke off abruptly.

“Oh,” Yibo hadn’t meant to interrupt, but at his soft sound of realisation Xiao Zhan finally looked up at him.

“See, it’s really-” he sighs, tears finally slowing to a trickle, “I just thought it would be nice. Both of us growing and showing together. The babies would be like twins.”

“Zhan-ge, three months later is still close enough to be twins right?” He hadn’t really thought about what it might have been like until Xiao Zhan mentioned it, but suddenly he could think of nothing else. Them, both pregnant together, and he wanted it. Intensely and immediately, he wanted that. “I could- We could-” Xiao Zhan’s skin was already flushing pink again, and he bit his lip before pulling Yibo in for a kiss.

“Yeah, let’s try again.” He finished Yibo’s sentence, the sudden tears forgotten.

It’s only after Yibo himself climaxes that he realises that Xiao Zhan’s heat had broken after that first time. Xiao Zhan’s scent had already been a lot less honeyed, he’d gone soft after climaxing instead of sporting a semi to full erection as the heat ran through him. Had Xiao Zhan actually been in heat longer than he’d thought? He’d not been home for more than an hour or two, but when he looked up Xiao Zhan’s eyes were already closed, his breathing slow and even. Sweat and slick and cum were drying on their skin, so Yibo eases off the bed to reheat the abandoned cloth from earlier to clean them both off.

While he was reluctant to leave Xiao Zhan right then, Yibo did realise that both of them probably needed dinner. He turned to rummage through their closet for something comfortable to wear. Foregoing underwear and slipping into sweats, slippers and a tee, and was about to pull on one of his hoodies when he caught sight of one of Xiao Zhan’s soft woollen cardigans and pulled that on instead. He usually laughed at how his mate looked, drowning in these over-large atrocities. On Yibo they seem even bigger. For all that he was swamped in wool, it was incredibly soft and smelled just like Xiao Zhan. Yibo would be leaving his scent all over it by the time he returned it. The idea formed a warm weight in his stomach, even years into being together.

In the kitchen a full pantry and a well stocked fridge stared back at him. Xiao Zhan did the cooking for them more often than not, making sure their diet is as balanced and healthy as possible. Especially with all the food aversions Yibo has been suffering with, and with how many foods a pregnant person was just not allowed to eat. Yibo had no idea where to start. Even at 23 and pregnant, his ability to feed himself with food made by his own hand was pitifully limited.

Maybe he could fry up something easy? There was usually always some left over rice somewhere. He steered clear of Xiao Zhan’s kitchen knives, and grabbed one that looked a little more manageable to chop up some vegetables. By the time Xiao Zhan woke up and joined him in the kitchen nearly an hour later Yibo was just about done.

“Are you banging around in my kitchen?” Xiao Zhan asked, stepping close to drape himself over Yibo’s back, peeking over his shoulder at what he was making.

“I doubt you’ve eaten, and I was hungry, so I made us something,” Yibo bares his neck for Xiao Zhan to nuzzle.

“Are you wearing my clothes?” Xiao Zhan asked next. He liberated the wok and spatula from Yibo’s hands, and Yibo moved instead to get their place settings ready at the kitchen island.

“Hm, and it’s going to smell just like me the next time you wear it out anywhere.” Yibo replied, seating himself as Xiao Zhan arranged their meal before them. It earned him a fond look which he counted as a win.

“This looks good, have you been practicing?” Xiao Zhan asked as he placed the wok on the table ready to serve their meal, then sitting down to eat.

“At least this much I can do now. Also, I’ve been watching you carefully while you cook. Eventually I’m bound to pick up something.” Yibo ate his first mouthful, and hummed in satisfaction. “It’s not as good as what you could make, but it’s edible.”

“I meant to get the kitchen packed up today,” Xiao Zhan noted with a sigh after a few moments of them eating in silence.

“But then your heat struck?” Yibo asked carefully.

“But then my heat struck.” Xiao Zhan agreed.

“It was over again fairly quickly though,” Yibo pointed out the obvious, because it seemed significant.

“I noticed. It started up pretty quickly too. There wasn’t really a pre-heat either.” Xiao Zhan put down his chopsticks, instead rested his chin on his palm as he frowned at nothing in particular.

“I have that appointment in a few days, maybe we can talk to the gynaecologist,” Yibo offered, making steady progress with his meal, urging Xiao Zhan to eat his too. With a nod, Xiao Zhan agreed.

The days leading up to their appointment were tense. Obviously, Yibo did not go into heat, so they spent the next few days packing up their things together, stacking everything neatly in the living room, boxes marked and catalogued. The work kept them busy, as did finding lost trinkets they hadn’t seen in years in the most unlikely places. Yibo even convinces Xiao Zhan to try some yoga poses with him, to hilarious and endearing results. With some practice Xiao Zhan gets it though, he’s far more patient and suited to the practice. Other than one quiet conversation about them taking their time, they don’t bring up the heat again.

### ~

The first thing the nurse had him do before Yibo even stepped into the gynaecologists office was to step on the scale. She was very serious as she made note of his weight. She asked after his appetite and took his blood pressure in quick order, before asking that he send Xiao Zhan in for his check before they went to see the doctor.

It was a little unusual for them to be sharing a consultation, but the receptionist had assured them it was alright. They would be wanting to attend their mate’s appointments after all.

Their doctor greeted them with a reassuring smile, inviting them to be seated. Yibo was assured his weight had picked up beautifully and then she spent some time drilling Xiao Zhan about the nature of his last heat.

“Would you like me to start by having a quick scan of your uterus and ovaries, just to see what everything looks like?” the doctor asks Xiao Zhan kindly, standing from her desk to lead them both to her examination table.

“If Yibo doesn’t mind, then I’d like that, yes,” Xiao Zhan answered, looking over to see Yibo nod and gesture him to the bed.

“Sometimes your body just needs a while to work out the suppressants properly, and for you to start ovulating normally again. Let’s see then.” She helped Xiao Zhan get situated on the bed, then asked that he lifts his shirt before squeezing cold fluid low on his belly.

All three of them turn to the monitor display watching the black and white fuzz coalesce into an image.

To all of their surprise, right there on the screen is the clear white shape of a spine, and little ribs, a skull and limbs.

“Congratulations! You’re pregnant!” 

“It was a false heat, I can’t believe it,” Xiao Zhan was still shocked, even after they’d left the doctor’s office and gotten back home. He’d had no symptoms, they’d just assumed all the lingering pregnancy pheromones were Yibo’s. There wasn’t even the hint of a bump on his abdomen, just that soft little pudge that he couldn’t seem to get rid of these past few years. But there was a whole baby in there. According to their growth tracker app, both babies, at 12 weeks, were each the size of a lemon.

“I just want to know one thing, ge,” Yibo was all but beaming with surprised happiness. He’d come to accept his own pregnancy quickly and easily enough, daunting as it all was once it was real. But thinking of Xiao Zhan pregnant just seemed right, no adjustment needed. “Does this mean I can finally complain about this whole pregnancy business? I can’t tell you how much I’ve been holding back, but it’s been driving me crazy how often I have to pee these days!”

This managed to startle a laugh out of Xiao Zhan, a suspiciously wet one, but a real laugh all the same. And then he burst into tears after all.

“Urgh, these damn hormones!” Xiao Zhan hid his face in his hands half laughing, half crying and all Yibo could do was grin as he pulled him into a hug.

* * *

Wang Yibo is 24 years old when they bring their newborn babies home

* * *

The new house was absolutely perfect and ready for their new family members to arrive. Xiao Zhan and Yibo’s mothers had been working to babyproof everything, their fathers had overseen the majority of the nursery renovations when it was decided that the nursery should really be adjoined to the master bedroom. There was only so much Xiao Zhan and Yibo had been allowed to do in the last months of their pregnancies when moving around was difficult with their cumbersome bellies. 

They made frequent sport of all the things they couldn’t do, like reach their toes comfortably, or sleep comfortably. They forgot words all the time with pregnancy-brain, and peed all the time because babies had no respect for bladders or kidneys or stomachs really. Luckily it was all offset by their excitement to meet their children.

On the medical advice of their doctor they had opted for caesarean sections, which were scheduled for the same day upon their request. Their due dates were close enough that this hadn’t been a problem at all. They had just had to time it right so that each baby had a chance to have that first hour of skin-to-skin time. 

Just like that they had twins after all.

Both babies are snugly swaddled, and fast asleep as Yibo and Xiao Zhan ease carefully out of the car. It’s a slow, careful walk up the path from the car to the front door where they cross the threshold together. 

Yibo’s eyes meet Xiao Zhan’s above the soft round faces of their son and daughter as their parents welcome them home.

Wang Yibo is 24 years old when they bring their newborn babies home for the first time, to their new forever home, that smells of fresh strawberries and spices.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me screaming about Wang Yibo and Xiao Zhan on twitter @AndreaMadspade
> 
> All comments are welcome


End file.
